For years, British complaints that the Eurovision Song Contest is a fix have been dismissed as sour grapes.

Now, however, it seems that our concerns may have been justified.

The organisers are investigating claims that several countries bought votes from others at this year’s final.

Foul play? An executive from an unnamed Eurovision Song Contest country has claimed that Azerbaijan is one of several countries offering bribes for country's votes. Azerbaijan entrant in 2013 Farid Mammadov is pictured

Second-placed Azerbaijan – which has
been awarded the maximum 12 points by Malta for four years running – has
been accused not only of attempting to bribe jury members but also
paying Lithuanian students to vote multiple times.

And Macedonia has been accused of trying to set up a vote-swapping scheme with other countries to ensure a high place.

The claims were made by an anonymous official involved in this year’s competition, which was held in Malmo, Sweden.

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The
insider was contacted by several delegations keen to arrange
vote-rigging schemes, they told Swedish newspaper Skanska Dagbladet.

The
executive, from an unknown delegation, claimed the Azerbaijani
contingent offered ‘enough money to live for a year’ in return for high
points. The source added: ‘I know of at least three other countries that
are doing this kind of agreement backstage, even if they have not
contacted me personally.’

Controversy: The source made allegations against Azerbaijan, whose 2011 winning act are pictured, left. UK entrant Bonnie Tyler, right, also claims to have overheard Russians asking other countries where were the votes that they paid for

Farid Mammadov, representing Azerbaijan, came second in this year's competition prompting suspicion as the country was awarded 12 points by Malta for the fourth year in a row

In May the Azerbaijani delegation was
accused of handing out mobile phone SIM cards to Lithuanian students and
paying them to vote.

Lithuanian news website 15min published a
secretly recorded film which allegedly shows them being offered €20 each
by Russian-speaking men to support Azerbaijan in this year’s final. The
country, which hosted last year’s Eurovision and won in 2011, regularly
receives maximum points from countries including Lithuania, Malta,
Bulgaria and Israel.

The Azerbaijani entry this year, which finished second to Denmark, was Hold Me sung by Farid Mammadov.

In
June this year’s UK entrant Bonnie Tyler claimed she overheard Russians
asking why they didn’t get votes they had bought. The singer, who came
19th out of 26, said: ‘The next day the Russians were complaining to
Azerbaijan – “Why didn’t you give us the ten points we paid for?” ’

Another
source said: ‘I am not surprised [by the claims]. On the night, Bonnie
got the biggest reaction in the arena, and all over Malmo she was
mobbed. It was almost impossible for her to get such a bad score.’

Eurovision
Song Contest event supervisor Sietse Bakker said the corruption claims
were being investigated by the European Broadcasting Union.

Cheryl
Baker of Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 contest for the UK, said: ‘You’ll
always get people voting for their neighbour, but taking money, I think
that’s shocking. It’s turning a joyous occasion into something sordid
and nasty.’